


Hamilton Horror Story

by Tomi Wiseass (thatqrfanficcer)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, The Freshman Series (Visual Novels)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Characters Reading Fanfiction, Characters Writing Fanfiction, Choices: Stories You Play - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Horror, Humor, Lesbian Peggy Schuyler, M/M, Mild Smut, Minor Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton, Minor John Church/Angelica Schuyler, Minor John Laurens/Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Mostly Gen, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Marquis de Lafayette, Other, Parody, Story within a Story, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2020-12-23 23:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21089654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatqrfanficcer/pseuds/Tomi%20Wiseass
Summary: Creepy woods, old cabins, and monsters, oh my!  Eliza gets wrapped up in a strange story the night before Halloween, where she and her friends fall prey to a hurricane of horror tropes.  Sure, it all seems like your standard thriller, but something about her friends feels a little…off…





	1. Stranger Than Fanfiction

**Author's Note:**

> You can tell by the timing this Halloween fic was brought to you by a procrastinator lmao

_It was a dark and spooky night, the kind of night where anything can happen. The shadows were looming, the clouds were glooming, and a pair of headlights shone on an old cabin as a van full of ordinary, innocent college students pulled up._

_“Looks like we made it!” Paige Shoeler exclaimed as she disembarked, “Our weekend getaway!”_

_“I don’t know,” her elder sister Emily added nervously, “A big creepy cabin in the middle of the woods, miles away from civilization? This feels… kinda spooky.”_

_Unbeknownst to Emily, Ax Hammer was creeping up behind her, a football slung under his arm. He put his lips very close to her ear and whispered, “Maybe it’s full of ghosts!”_

_Emily jumped, letting out a gasp, and Ax laughed. He threw the football at Don Temple, who fell backwards with the force of impact._

_“Bloody hell!” he yelled as he stood up and brushed himself off, “Bugger off, tosser!”_

_“Ax! Don’t be a jerk!” Emily reprimanded._

_Ax shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey, man, just trying to keep everyone on their toes.”_

_“Mind your own toes,” Andi, the eldest Shoeler sister, warned protectively, “I don’t appreciate it, nor does Emily. Now apologize to my sister.”_

_“And boyfriend,” Don mentioned._

_“Oh, walk it off,” Andi dismissed, “You’re a strong man, you’ll be fine.”_

_“But not as strong as me!” Ax teased playfully. Don glared at him. “Come on, no hard feels, right my guys?” Andi raised an eyebrow at him. “And ladies? I just came out here to have a good time, honest. No need to feel attacked right now.”_

_“Hell yeah!” Paige seconded, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I plan on partying until I pass out!”_

_As Ax and Paige exchanged a high-five, Darren Frost frowned and pulled a stack of books to his chest._

_“Would you two please attempt to control yourselves?” Darren requested impatiently, “I was hoping to take advantage of the peace and quiet to read.”_

“Vraiment,_ Darren?” Lafontaine questioned bilingually, _“Pour quoi _do you bring books_ à la soirée?”

_“Well,_ pardonnez-moi_ if I don’t find much gratification in getting blackout drunk,” Darren uttered, rather self-righteously, “I’ll _soirée_ with Thoreau instead.”_

_“You are the worst,” Lafontaine muttered with an eyeroll._

_“Well,” Don interjected, “for those of us without books, I brought video games. I’ve got Harry Potter, Lego Harry Potter, and Grand Theft Auto. What do you lot think?”_

_“I think we’re not going to have electricity, stupid male,” Andi explained condescendingly, “That’s why I brought my reading material from my Women’s Studies class, plus Common Sense by Thomas Paine in case I finish early.”_

_“I hope you brought enough to share, Andi,” Emily voiced, “It’s fine for you and Darren to spend the weekend reading, but what are the rest of us going to do?”_

_“Uh, party, duh!” shouted Paige, “Silly sister, weren’t you listening?!”_

_“Geez, how’d we wind up with all you nerds?” asked Ax with a laugh, “What about you, Jack? At least tell me _you’re_ down to get wild this weekend.”_

_Jack Lawrence stood off to the side and gazed into the darkness, smoking a cigarette. He pushed a lock of hair from his forehead, his mind elsewhere. Then he placed the cigarette between his fingers and temporarily extracted it from his lips, blew a cloud of smoke into the night, and from his puckered mouth came the words, “Yeah. Sure. Whatever.”_

_He punctuated his apathetic declaration by returning the cigarette to its rightful place, inhaling once more._

_Paige rolled her eyes._

_“ ‘Whatever,’ ” Ax mimicked in Jack’s broody tone, then he brightened up and called in his usual voice, “Well, _I’m_ getting this party started!” He sprinted towards the cabin. “Last one to the door has to carry in the beer!”_

_“Hmm… Perhaps someone could assist me with my books?” Darren inquired._

_Ax tossed the football again. It whizzed past Darren’s head, almost hitting him, only to be caught by Jack indifferently. Startled, Darren dropped his books._

_Lafontaine laughed in French._

“Quel dommage pour toi, mec._ I believe you just, how you say, got pwned?”_

_“I do not say,” Darren retorted, “So I would not know. Today’s slang often eludes me.”_

_He stooped down to pick up his books. Emily knelt down beside him. “I can help you,” she offered kindly._

_“Thank you. Much appreciated.”_

_Meanwhile, Jack stalked past the commotion towards the van and leaned against it as he pulled out and lit another cigarette, the football under his arm. Once the cigarette was in his mouth, he balanced the football on his middle finger and twirled it like a basketball._

_“Oi, you plan to help us with this load, or what?” Don queried him, pulling the cooler out of the van._

_Jack put the football back under his arm, opened the cooler, and grabbed a beer. “I don’t know,” he stated, cracking open the can, the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, “Maybe.”_

_Suddenly, the night air was split by a sharp whistle._

_Ax waved from the porch and hollered, “Guys, seriously, this party isn’t gonna throw itself! Don’t tell me you’re _scared!”

_At that moment, a gust of wind blew, making an eerie rustling noise throughout the wood, and sent a shiver down everyone’s spine, not entirely due to the cold._

_“Come on, sisters,” instructed Andi, emitting a bravery she did not entirely feel, “And Don. Let’s go inside.”_

_She gathered her sisters and rushed to do just that. Don scrambled to catch up behind them, struggling with the cooler in his arms. “Don’t worry about electricity! I’ve brought DnD for backup!”_

“Mrs. Reeve? Can I interject for a second?”

The administrator looks up from her manuscript at Eliza Schuyler from across her desk, with nervous anticipation. “So. You like it? Love it? Wanna marry and have babies with it? It’s the best thing you’ve ever heard and you can’t believe it’s not published yet?”

Eliza laughs, which seems to calm the woman’s manic energy. (She truly is the polar-opposite of her brother.) “Not exactly.”

“Well? What, then?”

Eliza chooses her words carefully, “Look, I think it’s great that you’re working on a book, and I’m flattered that you’d ask my opinion, but… I also think it’s a little weird.”

Mrs. Reeve’s brow furrows. “What’s a little weird?”

“…That you’re writing about me and my friends?”

“Oh.” She waves a hand. “Don’t worry about that. I’m just using you guys as a starting place. I mean, your group has all the classic tropes built in already! The party girl, the ingenue,” —she gestures to Eliza— “the quirky foreign transfer students, the athlete—”

“The uptight bookworm?” Eliza asks with a knowing smile.

Mrs. Reeve answers with a sly smile of her own. “Okay, maybe _that_ likeness was a little bit intentional…”

“Actually,” Eliza says, “that’s the other thing I had an issue with. Everyone’s _acting_ weird, too. Laurens is a broody edgelord, Angelica’s acting like some sort of bad feminist stereotype, Alexander’s a dumb jock—”

“I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I nailed that last one,” the administrator says, her lips twitching.

“Oh, Mrs. Reeve, don’t—”

“Please,” she interrupts, “We’re practically family now, Sally’s fine.”

“Sally,” Eliza corrects herself, a bit uncomfortable at the sudden familiarity, “Alexander might make dumb decisions sometimes, but he’s probably one of the smartest men I’ve ever met. Did you know he got a 4.0 last year, while working two jobs?”

“Well, I have access to all the transcripts, so, yeah.”

“Oh.”

“And I’m only teasing. I have nothing against him, he’s just kind of brash and impulsive. Temperamental, you know? Not like you.”

Eliza smiles patiently. “I’m flattered, but… Sally, you know Aaron and I don’t see each other that way, right?”

That’s the main trouble with Mrs.— with Sally. She’s good at what she does, very smart, and very nice (to Eliza at least), but she just doesn’t _get_ what Eliza and Aaron have. Aaron’s a great friend, and objectively very handsome, one of the best writers she knows and the perfect person to discuss her own writing with, but the only type of partner he’s ever been to her is a critique partner. 

(Well, apart from that one time, about a year ago, when he had Eliza pretend to be his fiancée the night she met the Reeves, but he confessed the truth before the night was over, he’s apologized plenty since, and he never tried anything romantic with her again, so she knows it’s a mutual understanding.)

“Oh, I know, I know. He’s dating Hamilton, and you’re dating… Who are you dating again?”

“Maria Lewis. She used to be—”

“One of the Kappas. That’s right, I knew that.” She clasps her hands together. “Anyways. It’s actually good that you’re looking at this with a critical eye. That’s actually why I brought you here today.”

“You’re asking for my input?” Eliza guesses.

Mrs.— Sally grins. “Exactly. I need you to help me make these characters feel… realistic. Or, as realistic as possible within the horror tropes. But there has to be some truth underneath the exaggeration.”

Eliza grins back. “I think I can manage that.”

“Awesome! Where do we start?” The nervous energy is back, eager this time.

“Why don’t you start by giving me the rundown of what happens?”

The plot is simple enough: it’s a basic slasher story. The students go to a little cabin in the woods for a fun weekend, only to be killed off one by one. Eliza offers some constructive criticism regarding the monster, and after a little friendly disagreement, Sally comes to understand where Eliza’s coming from and takes her suggestions under advisement. Apart from that, Eliza thinks she’s got a pretty good plan for the story, but Sally’s not quite satisfied just yet.

“If it’s not too much to ask,” she says, “Could you read through my manuscript? I can give you a copy. There are parts that aren’t fully fleshed out, and I feel like you’d know what direction to take them.”

“Sure, no problem,” Eliza says. Then she has an idea. “Would you mind if I showed it to my friends?” In all honesty, she’s not sure how Aaron will take it, but the rest of them will probably be more amused than offended, the more she thinks about it.

Sally lights up and responds with more enthusiasm than expected, “That would be perfect, actually! They might have valuable insight into their characters’ motivations!” She pauses. “One more thing: remind me what pronouns Lafayette uses again?”

“They/them.”

“Perfect, I got them right! Just making sure. All right, let me make some quick changes based on your feedback…” She opens a file on her computer and types for a minute, then prints out the new version, gathers up the stack of papers, and hands them to Eliza. “Guard this with your life!”

“Of course! I look forward to reading more. But it’s starting to get late, so I should probably head home.”

“Ah, yes, don’t let me keep you. Thanks again!”

Eliza takes the manuscript and exits the office, giving her one last smile before leaving.

* * *

It’s a little after sunset when Eliza gets home, the time of day when the sky’s just beginning to darken. When she walks in the door, she notices two unusual things. One, Alexander is sleeping slumped over Aaron on the couch, legs curled on his lap and his long, messy hair covering Aaron’s left shoulder. Eliza isn’t sure if Aaron’s sleeping too; his eyes are closed, but he’s sitting remarkably straight and still, hands clasped tight behind Alexander’s lower back, perhaps to keep him from falling off. Two, Laf and Laurens are playing cards cross-legged on the floor in front of them, watching soccer at low volume (it’s the low volume that really gives her pause; it’s usually hard to keep them quiet when it comes to sports).

Laurens looks up at her from his deck of cards. “Don’t wake them up,” he whispers, indicating the couple on the couch with his eyes.

She obliges and makes sure to close the door quietly behind her. “Isn’t it a little late for a nap?” she whispers back.

“Eliza! You’re home!” Peggy shouts as she spots her from the dining room, “Wanna join us?!”

Laurens holds Eliza’s gaze and shakes his head.

She hesitates. “What are you guys doing in there?” she asks, just loud enough to be heard.

John Church answers for her, at normal volume, “Helping Angie make decorations. Poor girl’s gotten in over her head again, so I figured taking some of the burden off her shoulders was the _least_ I could do.” He aims a glare at Laurens and Laf, but they’re too busy with their game to notice.

“She dragged _me_ into it, too,” Peggy grumbles, “Pulled the sister card.”

Laurens looks up at her again and whispers, “Get out while you still can.”

Eliza takes a good, hard look at Angelica from across the room: headphones on, face tight with concentration, eyes tired, hands working quickly and meticulously on the cutouts like her life depends on it.

“Why aren’t _they_ helping?” she asks, gesturing to the boys and nonbinary person in the living room. It’s louder than she intends, but she finds she’s suddenly not so interested in keeping quiet anymore.

“Good question!” Peggy shouts again, louder than before, “Why don’t you ask them?!”

Laurens looks down at his cards guiltily and says nothing, but Laf turns around to face Eliza, flashing her the pretty smile they use when they’re trying to get away with something. “Eliza, _ma chére, ma fille, ma crevette, ma petite coccinelle—”_

“Just tell me,” she says, though she does crack a smile herself.

Laf drops the act. “Look, we did our part to help, then we all took a break, Alexander fell asleep, we couldn’t wake him, so we decided to wait until he woke up. It isn’t our fault that he didn’t get enough sleep in the first place, poor thing.”

_“Those two_ decided to wait until he woke up,” John Church adds, “Because they want to rely on Alexander’s superhuman work pace to carry the team.” He turns to Laf. “Oh, and speaking of teams, Germany just scored on you again.”

Laf’s face contorts a bit, then lands on carefully neutral. “That’s fine,” they squeak.

Peggy lets out a loud groan. “Come _on,”_ she whines, “It’s been _two hours, _how much more of a break do you _need?!”_

“Peggy’s right,” Eliza says, “I think we _all_ should be doing our part.” She walks over to Alexander and Aaron, carefully reaches into Alexander’s mane of hair, and plucks a few out at once.

He groans, half-pain and half-grogginess, and Aaron’s eyes snap open to glare at her.

“Good,” Eliza says, “You _are_ awake. Now let’s say we make some decorations, hmm?”

Alexander scrambles to stand up, shakes his legs out, then rushes to the dining room. “Right! Oh my God, I just completely drifted off, didn’t I? What time is it? You know what, doesn’t matter. I’m coming, Angie, don’t worry!”

Reluctantly, and with Eliza’s urging, the other members of the living room stand and head over to help. Laf charms their way into getting five more minutes to watch the soccer game (or perhaps John Church simply feels sorry for them, since apparently France is losing), turns the volume way up, and starts shouting and swearing at the screen in every language they know. Once Alexander, Aaron, and Laurens are settled in place, Eliza excuses herself to the bathroom and hides the manuscript under her pillow; it can wait until they’re done. Then she comes back to join the rest, takes Peggy’s spot so she can take a break, and gets to work.

* * *

The evening is full of sticky fingers and cramping hands, and not in the fun way, but Eliza’s still proud of the progress they’ve made tonight. She gets where her roommates’ reluctance was coming from — Angelica’s not unlike a drill sergeant when she gets in party-planning mode — but once they all agreed to do it together, it wasn’t too bad. John Church even convinced her to take a break herself, deep-massaging her hands while Eliza took the helm, to the relief of everyone at the table (well, apart from Alexander, who was so deep into one of his productivity streaks that he probably didn’t even notice). When Angelica came back, she was much calmer, and even agreed to save the actual decorating for tomorrow once they were done making them. Eliza made sure to give the team a pep talk and praise everyone for the work they’ve done, as positive reinforcement. (Good Lord, they were right: she really is the mom friend.)

But while everyone else retreated to their rooms to rest, Eliza still had plenty of energy to spare, so she decided to throw it into decorating the room she and Maria share. Maybe it’s a little cheesy and over-the-top when she gets done with it, but she thinks it looks quite charming.

Satisfied after a long day, Eliza sits on her bed and takes the manuscript out from under her pillow to read.

And then Maria enters the room in her Uskea uniform, and Eliza forgets the manuscript altogether.

“Hi, sweetie!” she says, getting up and greeting her girlfriend with a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey,” she says with a sigh and a tired smile. It takes her a minute to notice the scenery. “You decorated our room.”

“How does it look?” Eliza asks eagerly.

“Like the inside of a furniture store.”

“Oh!” Right, of course, she’s been around decorations all day, the last thing she wants is to be reminded. “I know they’re a little much—”

“No, no!” Maria says quickly, “They’re cute! Very festive, just… I just wasn’t expecting decorations ‘til tomorrow, that’s all.”

“I can take them down—”

“Don’t you dare!” Maria says, “You worked hard on these. Besides, it was your bedroom first, you can decorate it however you want.”

“It’s your bedroom, too, though,” Eliza points out.

“Well, I want them to stay.” Maria plops down on their bed and takes off her shoes. “I mean, they do remind me a little of my job, but I like my job. And it’s nice that I didn’t have to set it up this time.”

“That might change tomorrow,” Eliza warns her.

Maria groans. “Right. The party. How’s that situation going?”

“Not too bad. We worked pretty late, and you know how Angelica gets, but we’re done _making_ them, at least. All we need to do now is hang them up. And get some rest tonight, of course.”

“Of course,” Maria says, the corner of her mouth wry as she picks up the manuscript, “So you decided to unwind by doing homework, on a Friday, like a nerd.”

Eliza pushes her shoulder playfully as she laughs and plucks the manuscript from her. “Actually, it’s not exactly homework…” She fills her in on Mrs. Reeve’s novel.

“Aaron’s sister’s writing a story about us. Huh. That’s…”

Eliza’s nervous for what that pause could mean. “Weird? Creepy? Stalkerish? Crossing some kind of professional boundary? A sign that she’s maybe a little too invested in the lives of her brother’s friends?”

“Well… yeah.” The way Maria laughs and looks at Eliza makes her laugh along too, relaxes her a bit. “But it’s also kinda cool, having a story written about you. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?”

“I guess you’re right,” Eliza says, “And it _is_ pretty funny so far. Everyone’s such an exaggerated version of themselves, it’s obviously more of a spoof than reality. It’s just a little unsettling to read about characters who are _like_ me and my friends, but… off. You know?”

“I dunno… _I’m_ interested in seeing how she interprets everyone,” Maria muses, more to herself than Eliza, “Sometimes stereotypes are based on truth…” She perks up. “So what’s _my_ character like?”

Huh. She hasn’t met a character resembling Maria yet. What if…

Maria looks at her expectantly.

She hedges. “I… was gonna wait until I could show it to everyone tomorrow. Then I can get some balanced feedback.”

“Oh come on! I’m your girlfriend, can’t I have just a little itty-bitty-witty teeny-tiny little sneak peek, please? Pretty, pretty please?” She pouts, sticking out her lower lip in a very unfair way, big and red and slightly wet, giving her that puppy-dog look that makes her beautiful brown eyes look bigger, looking up through her long lashes.

Damn it, she can never say no to that face.

“All right, let me see if I can find you.” She flips through the pages, scanning for anyone resembling Maria, and when she doesn’t see her she flips through a second time, then a third. “Oh, um… Well, it looks like she didn’t include you at all. I’m sorry.”

“Oh. Well. That’s okay. It probably would’ve been totally off, huh?” She’s sitting so sadly in front of Eliza, looking down at her lap, fiddling with her fingers, that damn lip still protruding a bit, perhaps unintentionally this time, but it does catch just a little glimmer of light on the tip of it…

“Oh, Maria,” Eliza cups her cheek and tilts her face up, lowers her own face to her level. “Why don’t I cheer you up?”

Maria grins and leans in, and Eliza nips her tempting, luscious lower lip before kissing her, soft and slow as she reaches up to tug her curls behind her ears.

“Eliza?” she asks sweetly as she pulls away for air, giving her another quick peck on the lips, “You’ll write me into _your_ books, right?” And it’s so, _so_ unfair, how her eyes look at her like that, so trusting and vulnerable and pleading.

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna ride my coattails to fame,” she teases.

“Oh, I’m gonna ride more than that,” Maria matches her tone, does a little teasing of her own as she spreads her legs and grabs Eliza’s collar, pulling her closer. “Unless you want to ride me first,” she adds, cocking an eyebrow.

“I think I get your drift.”

As they continue kissing, Eliza climbs onto Maria’s lap as she leans back, all too willing. Between deepening kisses and stolen breaths, they adjust themselves to a more comfortable position: Maria lying on the bed more straight-on so it can support her from head to toe, her head resting on the pillow, Eliza lying on top of her. Maria’s mouth is swollen, lipstick smeared around it, but there are other parts of her body calling out to Eliza, so she moves to her earlobe, her jawline, her neck, rewarded with lovely little sounds from Maria each time she maps out more territory with her mouth.

“Eliza,” Maria half-whines, half-moans, “You— oh God… you didn’t, mm…” She gently pushes on Eliza’s forehead when her lips are at the base of her throat. Eliza pulls up to look at her face, to make sure she’s still okay with this. She’s a bit breathless, but there’s something bothering her, something she wants to say, so Eliza rolls off her onto her side to give Maria space to say it. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Right,” Eliza says. She tries to remember, but her brain’s a little foggy at the moment. “And that was…?”

She pouts again. “When you’re a world-famous author, I’m gonna be a part of your narrative, right?”

Eliza smiles at her. “Of course! You’d be my collaborator!”

Maria frowns, more serious now. “Wait,” she says nervously, “You mean I’d be writing _with_ you?”

“If you want,” Eliza says, “Or you could help me come up with story ideas, or offer feedback, or any number of things.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I probably wouldn’t have anything intelligent to add…”

“That’s not true! I’m sure you’d have lots of good ideas! Seriously.” Eliza looks her in the eye, Maria’s own eyes self-conscious and skeptical. “Maria Lewis, you are a strong, independent woman, and your thoughts are every bit as valuable as everyone else’s. In fact, more so than everyone else’s, at least when it comes to me. You hear me?”

“Okay, Team Mom,” she teases, but her smile is genuine under the ribbing, “I’m sure you can come up with good material on your own, but I’m always happy to help.” She laces her fingers in Eliza’s hair and leans close, getting flirty again. “So, Miss Future Famous Writer. Impress me!”

“How?” Eliza asks, playing naïve. She wants her to ask for it.

“You know…” Maria twirls Eliza’s hair and waits for her.

(On more than one occasion, Peggy’s joked that lesbian sex takes forever because girls never want to make the first move. Eliza doesn’t normally like stereotyping, but the statement seems fitting tonight.)

Eliza continues to play coy, “What do you want me to do? Should I write you into the book myself?”

Maria rolls her eyes. “I was hoping for something a little less literary… Unless it involves you showing off your skills as a linguist. A cunning one.”

“Well, I love making people happy…” Eliza rolls back on top of Maria, sitting up on her elbows so she can lower herself slowly, savoring the anticipation as her lips draw nearer. “And I’m _damn _good at it.” Then she kisses her, hard, and doesn’t pull back up until they’re both gasping for air.

Maria grins wolfishly up at her and unbuttons her work shirt, her torso splayed open for the taking. She’s not wearing a bra. “Show me.”

Eliza brings her lips down again, ready to devour her whole.

* * *

When they’re finished, they settle into bed, Maria’s arm warm around Eliza’s waist. Maria dozes off after a while, but Eliza is still wide awake, curiosity coursing through her veins as she thinks about that manuscript. Finally she caves, reaches over Maria’s sleeping body to grab Mrs. Reeve’s story, reopens it, and continues reading…

_As the wind picked up outside, the friends gathered inside the cabin, making themselves at home._

_“This place is so cool!” Paige squealed, “Let’s move the furniture and clear a dance floor!”_

_She dove into a chair, knocking it backwards and revealing a strange stain on the floorboards beneath. It was the color of The Communist Manifesto._

“Merde sainte!”_ Laf bellowed, _“Ç’est _blood?!”_

_“Ooh, cool!” Ax emitted, leaning closer and reaching towards it._

_“Ew, don’t touch it,” Andi expressed disgustedly, “We don’t know how long that’s been there. What if it’s infected?”_

_“We don’t _know_ it’s blood, though, for sure,” Don countered, “Perhaps it’s marmite, or mud from the nearby swamp.”_

_Andi shook her head. “Too bright. It’s definitely something red.”_

_“Well, it could be ketchup, or chili sauce, or wine, or—”_

_“Excuse me,” Darren interrupted, “Ax, why are you disrobing at a time like this? Are you not even moderately concerned about this possibly sanguine stain on the floor?” _

_He shrugged and smirked at Darren, hands on his hips to fully display his skinny naked torso, rather unnecessarily for the situation or any situation. “I dunno. It’s hot in here. Why, does it bug you?”_

_“Well, it’s not that— it’s merely that— You are being dreadfully distracting, and— Are you honestly this apathetic to the possibility of spilled erythrocytes coloring the timber on which we stand?” Darren blustered._

_“Guys?” Emily interposed fearfully, “I’m sure something bad happened here. If that _is_ blood, there’s a lot of it. I don’t want to think about where it came from.”_

_“I agree,” Andi agreed, “Maybe it would not be wise to stay here…”_

_“Oh, come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” Ax urged, “Doesn’t the mystery add to the appeal?”_

_“I, for one, am all about mystery,” Jack reflected, staring out the cabin’s only window that wasn’t boarded up._

_Andi revolved her sight orbs in a circular fashion. “Men,” she generalized like some sort of bad feminist stereotype, “This is why you should not be allowed in government positions. None of you have any damn common sense or sense of restraint, not like us women.”_

_“Whoa, check out these cool doodads!” Paige burst out, running over to a rack on one of the walls containing several rusty tools and shackles._

_“Those are not doodads!” Darren scolded, “Please, no one touch them. They look filthy.”_

_“I’ve seen worse,” Jack contradicted, striking a match on the rusty axe blade and lighting a cigarette._

“Merveilleux!”_ Lafontaine announced, plucking a cigarette and match from Jack and lighting one themself._

_“If you must engage in such unhealthiness,” Darren lectured, “could the two of you at the very least pollute the air outdoors? I do not wish to get slaughtered by an axe murderer _or_ lung cancer.”_

_The two smokers shrugged and turned towards the door, then froze._

“Mon dieu,” _Laf breathed._

_“Y’all see these locks?” Jack observed, posing the question to the group._

_Everyone gathered around to see what he was talking about. What they saw was the side of the door frame almost completely covered in locks._

_“Whomst requires this many locks on their door?!” Darren articulated, his voice cracking hysterically towards the end._

_“Maybe he liked puzzles?” Ax speculated, “He could’ve been practicing picking locks.”_

_“Bollocks!” Don replied, finally realizing his girlfriend might be right, “You must be mad, Ax! This isn’t a Rubik’s cube, this is a sign! Of what, I can’t be sure, but at best it seems the previous owner was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.”_

_“Or maybe she was doing the only sane thing she could do,” Andi conjectured, “Maybe she was barricading herself from whatever lurks in these woods.”_

_Emily had a different hypothesis, however. “Maybe they were trying to keep something _in,_ not out.”_

“Quoi es-tu_ trying to tell us, Emily?” Laf interrogated._

_“She’s saying,” Jack remarked, then he took a long, drawn-out puff of his cigarette, blew the air out slowly, and finished with, “That we’re not alone in here.” He reached into his pocket, took out a pair of sunglasses, and put them on._

_“Okay, CSI: Miami,” Ax ribbed, “My guys, my gals, my enby pals, let’s forget about the door! It’s not like we’re in any danger right now, and we drove all the way out here, so we might as well enjoy ourselves.”_

_He lifted the beer cooler from the floor and placed it at the center of the chairs circling near the fireplace._

_“I just want to crack open a cold one with the boys. And the other genders present,” he included with a nod to Andi and Lafontaine._

_“Sounds like a plan to me!” Paige roared._

_The rest of the gang was more cautious, but one by one they all tentatively joined him by the fireplace. Although, once they did, it didn’t take long for them to relax and start enjoying themselves. After a few rounds of beer and plenty of jokes, the room was filled with mirth and laughter, fear forgotten._

_“…And I told him, ‘I don’t even have a horse!’”_

_“Oh, that is _classic_ Ax!”_

_“You always have the most uproarious anecdotes to share.”_

_“See?” Ax responded, “This place is dope. I told you all that you just needed to chill.”_

_“All right,” Darren conceded, “Perhaps this place was not as daunting as I’d initially imagined.”_

_“But you know what would make tonight really aces? Games!” Don suggested enthusiastically._

_Emily beamed shyly. “Like Truth or Dare?” she asserted uncertainly._

_“Yes, excellent,” and “Yeah, awesome!” came the reply from her sisters._

_“Dope,” concurred Ax._

_“Sure,” allowed Jack._

“Sucrée,” _Frenched Laf._

_“Well, I was thinking we’d play a video game, but I suppose that also works…” Don chagrined._

_“I’ll start!” Emily declared, “And I’ll pick…”_

_She searched the room, meeting each of her friends’ eyes. A tense silence hung in the air._

_“Laf.”_

“Moi?”

_“Yes, you. Now: truth or dare?”_

_“Hmmm… Dare.”_

_“All right.” Emily looked around the room again, this time rummaging for an idea. Then she caught a glimpse of the cabin’s only window not covered with wood and nails, and it came to her. “I dare you to run all the way to the lake and back… _alone.

_Laf laughed as they stood and threw open the door. “You call that a dare? _C’est facile!” _Then Laf yeeted off… to their _doom.

(This is when Eliza stops reading for a moment and earmarks the page, remembering that she’s supposed to give feedback later. She’s not sure if that was intended to be ominous, but she _is_ pretty sure you can’t be ominous and use the word “yeet” in the same sentence.

But she still wants to know what comes next, so she continues reading where she left off.)

_Ax was impressed. “Damn bro! I never knew Laf was such a beast when it came to Truth or Dare!”_

_But Ax’s enthusiasm gave Emily pause. “They’ll be okay, right?” When she didn’t get an answer, she turned to her elder sister and appealed to her directly, “Do you think they’ll be okay?”_

_“We’ve got nothing to worry about,” Andi reassured, “I’m sure Lafontaine will distract all the hungry animals, and then the rest of us will be safe. They won’t attack the cabin if they’ve already got a meal!”_

_For some reason, Emily did not find this particularly reassuring._

_“Fuck, Andi,” Jack blurted, raising an eyebrow at her, “That’s ice-cold.”_

_“I’m just kidding, Emily. They’ll be fine. Laf can handle themself,” Andi amended. _

_She led her little sister away from the door and closed it. Everyone else went back to the circle and continued in their revelries, giddy and full of life, but Emily looked back at the door one last time, hoping her friend would find their way back soon…_

_Meanwhile, Laf was running fast from the cabin, the cold wind making them shiver. As soon as they made it into the trees, they stumbled on a loose shoelace and almost tripped._

“Oups!”

_Laf bent over to tie their shoe when the wind howled and strange crunching noises echoed through the forest. They shivered again, but not from the cold._

“Rester calme, _Laf._ C’est juste _the wind. No need to, how they say, freak out.”_

_Then they heard another noise, and this time, they knew it wasn’t the wind. It was coming from right behind them. They froze in fear as they felt something creep closer, until they felt breathing on the back of their neck…_

_After ten minutes, Laf had still not returned. Fifteen minutes ticked by, then twenty._

_“You guys?” Emily fretted guiltily, “I’m really worried about Laf. The lake’s not that far, and they’ve been gone too long!”_

_“Hey, chill,” Ax advised, “They’re probably squatting naked in the bushes waiting to jump out and scare us.”_

_Emily was not convinced. “But what if—”_

Maria grunts beside Eliza, fast asleep. Eliza looks at the clock— it’s past midnight. She’d better rest up, too. Reluctantly, she closes the manuscript and turns off the light, but thoughts of the story she just read keep her awake for a long time before she drifts off into fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tHeRE aRE FOuR tHInGs yOu NeEd tO KnOW:
> 
> 1\. For any of you following my Parent Trap AU on main, I'm still working on it, it's just that 1) college started again, and 2) I realized I'm not actually sure about how I want to reveal certain information/how I want to split up the chapters? so right now I'm working on a few chapters at once so I can experiment with different chapter endings/beginnings/etc. and figure all that out before I publish.
> 
> For any of you not following it, feel free to ignore all that and not care!
> 
> 2\. I wanted to show Angie's nicer side in this chapter, but homegirl was a little preoccupied, and the scene was getting too long. We'll get to see the real her in the next chapter.
> 
> 3\. Next and final chapter of this should be up in the next week or two.
> 
> 4\. This my new parody account. So basically, that means:
>
>> thatqrfanficcer: Who are you?  
Tomi Wiseass: I'm you but worse
> 
>   
Enjoy my trash. Brb yeeting off to my doom... or will I?
> 
> (P.S. Comment and kudos or I will eAT yOuR bRAIiiiIIIIinS mUIHAHAHAHAHa)
> 
> (I'm tired lol, see you next update)


	2. I Know What You Did Last Quarter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza and her friends finally throw together their Halloween party. But things get sinister as they read further into Sally’s book, and the reactions of some may lead to relationships being tested as the story brings out sides of certain characters that no one suspected they had…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because what is horror story summary if not overly dramatic, right?

They’re not quite as far along with the decorating as they’d like when lunchtime rolls around, but Angelica already agreed to let them take a lunch break (on the condition that _everyone_ would come back in a timely manner and do their _equal_ share this time), which means Eliza has about half an hour to herself. She spends some of that time making PB&J and apple slices for herself and Maria, then ducks into their room to grab the manuscript and brings it downstairs so she can read it on the couch while she eats.

Just as she starts flipping through it, Aaron sits next to her and peeks over her shoulder.

“I didn’t know you were writing something new,” he says, clearly curious.

She closes it so she can point to the author’s name at the top of the first page. “I’m not. Your sister’s working on a novel and wanted some feedback.”

_“Sally’s _working on a book?” Aaron asks, peering closer, “Huh. Sure enough. But why’d she ask you and not me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she thinks I’m a better writer than you.” Eliza lightly bumps his shoulder with hers.

“You are _not.”_ He bumps back.

“Look, I’m just saying, we _both_ saw that movie last year…”

“Okay, you _know_ none of those awful changes were mine, and besides, I signed away that story, so my name isn’t even on it anymore. That does not count.”

(She does know that, but that doesn’t stop her from teasing him about it.)

“Sure,” Eliza says, with a hint of skepticism just to annoy him. “So, wanna know what it’s about?” she asks to distract him before he can argue further.

It works. “Of course.”

“It’s a tale of horror. And it’s…” She’s not quite sure how to begin explaining this. “…really weird.”

She rips off the Band-Aid and tells him the premise. The look on his face is pretty much what she expected: confused, horrified, a little intrigued, and very weirded out.

“So… she’s writing about us… but weird caricature versions of us?”

“That’s about the gist of it, yeah.”

“Is that _legal?_ Or okay for a college administrator to do? I mean, _why?_ Why _us? _Why _my_ friends? Doesn’t she have her own?”

“Probably not,” Alexander says from behind them, causing them both to jump. He’s leaned over the couch, head between their shoulders to get a closer look.

“Nosy fuck,” Aaron mutters affectionately to himself. Then, more audibly, “Just how long have you been listening in, Alexander?”

“Long enough. So what’s _my_ character like, Bets?”

Eliza smiles fondly and shakes her head at him. “Oh, it’s adorable how you think using that old nickname’s gonna get you a sneak peek.”

Alexander grins cheekily at Aaron and says, “You hear that? Betsey thinks I’m adorable.” Eliza barely refrains from rolling her eyes when he bites his lip and waggles his eyebrows. It’s one of his better tactics, making Aaron jealous when he wants his attention, but he’s _so_ transparent about it.

Not that that makes it any less effective. “Get over here, you little shit,” Aaron growls.

In typical Alexander fashion, he bolts around to front of the couch and practically jumps into Aaron’s lap, and they arrange themselves so that Alexander is curled up in a ball facing Eliza, head tucked under his boyfriend’s chin while Aaron indulgently pets his hair and gives Eliza a sideways glance that says _Do you see what I have to put up with._ He doesn’t seem to be suffering as hard as he pretends, but Eliza keeps that to herself and answers him with a shrug instead.

Maria taps Eliza on the shoulder. “Hey, they’re not harassing you too much, are they?”

“No, they’re just curious about that book I was telling you about.” Eliza scoots closer to Aaron and Alexander to make room for Maria next to her. It’s still a little cramped, but there are worse things than being squeezed up next to Maria.

“What book?” Laurens asks, coming in from the dining room with Laf.

“Aaron’s sister’s book.” Eliza holds up the manuscript so they can see.

“Aaron’s sister’s writing a book?” Peggy asks, coming in right behind Laf and Laurens.

Eliza explains the story for those who don’t yet know, and even John Church pops in to hear it. They’re all sitting around her in a circle as she finishes explaining.

They hear the last voice entering the living room before they see her. “Okay guys, five-minute warning, and remember, no one’s allowed to sl—” Angelica stops just short of the circle, right at the moment she seems to notice it. “What’s this?”

“Aaron’s sister’s written a book,” John Church explains.

“And it’s about us!” Alexander adds.

_“Most_ of us…” Maria mutters.

The rest fill her in just as Eliza filled them in. Angelica looks torn between curiosity about the book and the unfinished decorations still gnawing at her as unfinished tasks tend to do, but she manages a nervous smile. “Well that sounds really neat…” Her voice is higher than usual.

“You _have_ to let us take a look at this story, Eliza,” Laf says, and she knows the statement’s indirectly for Angelica as well.

Angelica gives her a _look,_ pained and silently pleading.

“We can all take a look at it later,” Eliza decides, “But we have a party set up for first!”

The group groans, but Angelica is visibly relieved and mouths a silent “Thank you” to her before going back into business mode. “That’s right!” she says to the group as she heads back to the dining room, “Remember, five minutes, then we’ve got T-minus five hours to get this place in tip-top shape. I cannot be everywhere at once, people!”

* * *

The place looks _amazing_ when they’re done, so much so that the autumn leaf garlands, orange streamers, and “Happy Halloween” banner in Eliza’s own room look modest by comparison. Her costume certainly is: a pumpkin dress, not short enough to be sexed up and not a round ball of stuffing, but a cute, comfortable number with long black-and-orange stockings and a little green stem hat to match. It’s a little basic, but Eliza prefers it that way; while she loves Halloween as much as her sisters, she’s never had Angelica’s extravagant imagination, nor her zeal for shaping her surroundings to fit the intricate visions she’s created in her mind.

Eliza re-enters the living room just as Angelica finishes artfully placing a last few candles on the mantle.

“Perfect!” And in that moment, Eliza knows every minute of hell Angelica’s given them has been worth it, because she’s positively _glowing_ with pride. Nothing gives Angelica a rush like getting everything just right, and the excitement is infectious as she notices Eliza and rushes to her, grabs her wrists and says, “It’s _wonderful,_ isn’t it?! Just look at how _festive _it all is!”

Eliza does, stepping back from her sister to take it all in at once for the full effect. The kitchen, living room, and dining room are all linked through a long chain of pumpkin, bat, jack-o-lantern, and spider cutouts (in that order, every time) strung along the top of every wall, with autumn leaf garlands wrapped expertly around them, appearing natural, loose, and delicate, but notably never covering too much of the designs they’d worked so hard on the night before. More spread out and less linked are the bits of cobweb hanging down from parts of the wall, covering some panels more than others. In the middle of one very cobwebby panel is that giant fake spider with the glowing red eyes Alexander had insisted on buying, which actually blends in much nicer than anticipated.

Actually, the eyes work perfectly with the bright red-and-orange lighting, the compromise everyone had made between “creepy aesthetic” and “our party guests need to be able to see.” And with the skeleton sitting on the couch next to a skull-and-bones throw pillow and the baby-head chandelier replacing the regular one in the dining room, she supposes the spider’s in good company.

Of course, Angelica has the thriftiness counterbalanced with her usual class and attention to detail: every surface even close to resembling a table is covered in black velvet, the food is arranged elegantly on their respective cheap Halloween-themed serving dishes, and there are plastic chalices (not cups, _chalices—_ much harder to find) next to both the bowl of red punch and the bowl of Bloody Mary, which are set on opposite ends of the food table, mirroring each other. The burning candles placed just so on various surfaces around the perimeter are a particularly nice touch; while they don’t add that much _light,_ they definitely add to the ambience, not to mention the lovely spicy cinnamon scent starting to fill the room.

“Really puts you in the spirit, don’t you think?” Angelica whispers next to her.

“Definitely,” Eliza agrees with a smile, turning to her, “Maybe we should keep it like this year-round…”

Angelica’s eyes glimmer in the red-orange light, and she sighs with satisfaction and relief.

“I don’t know about that,” Laurens says from the other side of Eliza, “Maybe we could lose the baby-head chandelier, at least.”

Alexander playfully shoves at his back. “Spoilsport. Where’s _your_ holiday spirit?”

Laurens gives him a little push back, but he does step aside to allow Alexander entrance. “You’d find all this shit freaky too if you were raised thinking Halloween was the devil’s holiday.”

“What about _Día de los Muertos?”_ Aaron asks, appearing behind Alexander’s shoulder.

Alexander turns to him and pats his arm before slinging his own around his waist. “That’s Mexico, babe. We’re Puerto Rican.”

“Oh.”

“Devil’s holiday, eh?” John Church asks, coming up behind Angelica and resting his elbow on her shoulder, “That why you’re not dressed up?”

Eliza had been so dazzled by the room she’d forgotten to take notice of everyone’s costumes… or lack thereof. In Laurens’s case, he’s wearing the same jeans, plain white tee, and leather jacket as usual.

“I _am _dressed up,” Laurens says, puffing his chest a bit. He smooths a hand over his hair. “I’m James Dean.”

“A rebel without a cause!” Laf chimes in from the couch, their head turning to face the group.

“Or a rebel without a costume!” Peggy snarks from the food table, already filling up a chalice with Bloody Mary.

Angelica hums to herself and tenses next to Eliza, and John Church moves his elbow to rub her back, an attempt to calm her.

“Nice save,” he tells Laurens with a smirk.

“Okay, British-me, what are you and Ms. Party Planning Police dressed up as, last summer’s LARPing campaign?”

“Hey, we had to represent our favorite show,” John Church says, unbothered by Laurens’s jibe, “Kind of bittersweet now that it’s ended…”

“Oh, Angelica!” Alexander pipes up, “Did you hear they’re thinking of making a _Crown and the Flame_-based college class? Personally, I’d love to see a feminist analysis of Kenna, especially for that part of the finale where they ask her who she’s marrying and she chooses—”

“Spoilers!” Laf cuts him off, “The hot John and I still haven’t seen the last season yet, I would appreciate it if you let us catch up.”

“Speaking of catching up,” Aaron says, “How about that story, Eliza?”

“Oh, right! Hold on, let me go grab it.”

Eliza runs upstairs to do exactly that, and when she returns, the group has settled in the living room.

On the couch sits Aaron, Alexander, Laf, and the skeleton, which Alexander has for some reason decided belongs on his lap. Laurens, sitting on the floor between Laf’s legs, eyes the skeleton warily while Aaron seems content to pretend it isn’t there, and Laf is more preoccupied with eating the popcorn in their lap while avoiding the severed hand in the middle of the bowl. Or, perhaps she should say, _James Dean_ is sitting between the pirate’s legs while eyeing the skeleton on the shirtless fireman’s lap, though she couldn’t quite say what Aaron’s black cloak is supposed to mean. (Knowing him, the ambiguity is probably the point.)

With the couch full, Eliza chooses the big comfy chair next to it instead. It is occupied, but only by Maria, who looks so welcoming and cozy in her adorable furry wolf costume, and is all too eager to let Eliza into her lap. She positions herself so that Maria can still see the story over her shoulder, but she seems more preoccupied with hugging her arms around Eliza’s waist (not that she’s complaining). John Church and Angelica are both sitting on the floor with a blanket neatly laid out underneath them as if for a picnic, taking turns eating various gummy body parts out of the Frankenstein head between them. Lastly, Peggy’s on a swivel chair between Eliza and Maria’s chair and the couch, grinning in anticipation and holding a plastic chalice in her hand (steadily, for now). With that Bloody Mary staining her teeth red, Peggy’s vampire costume looks a little _too_ convincing for comfort, and Eliza can’t help a slight shiver as she settles in to read, picking up right where she left off…

_“You guys?” Emily fretted guiltily, “I’m really worried about Laf. The lake’s not that far, and they’ve been gone too long!”_

_“Hey, chill,” Ax advised, “They’re probably squatting naked in the bushes waiting to jump out and scare us.”_

_Emily was not convinced. “But what if—”_

_“Perhaps they’re having a cig,” Don contributed, judgmentally observing Jack light one up himself._

_Everyone else turned to stare at Jack._

_“What?” he verbalized defensively, “Emily’s freaking out, I need stress relief. I have second-hand anxiety. That’s a thing, probably. Or not, whatever.”_

_“I’m not freaking out!” Emily screeched, “I suppose _you’ve_ got an idea where Laf is, then?”_

_Jack shrugged. “Maybe they got lost on the path of life…”_

(“What?!” the real Laf interrupts, “I’m _obviously_ fending off whatever monster lives in these woods! Come save me, guys!”)

_“We have to go after them right now!” Paige cried, “We should’ve gone ten minutes ago! Come on, come on!”_

_“I’ll get my compass in case we get lost,” Andi added responsibly._

_“Sweet!” Don exclaimed enthusiastically, “You can guide us there. It’ll be like a level in a video game!”_

_Darren blinked long and slow, then supplied, “Andi’s questionable navigational skills and Don’s questionable _priorities_ aside, I am _not_ trudging out to that muddy lake. These boots cost me a fortune!”_

_“Too bad, brah,” Ax decreed, finally putting his shirt back on, “The _ladies_ want us to rescue Lafontaine, so I say let’s do it.”_

This time, Peggy interrupts, calling out from the food table as she refills her chalice, “Wait, are we all going to the lake together? That’s like, a really, really bad idea.”

“Nuh-uh!” says Eliza, “Splitting up is the worst thing you can do in a horror situation! Now get back here so I can read.”

Peggy does, happily sipping away as she swivels back to the circle.

Angelica clears her throat. “Speaking of bad ideas: Peggy, how many of those pre-party cocktails are you planning to have?”

Peggy lowers her chalice and looks Angelica right in the eye. “As many as I feel like.”

Angelica stares right back with the unflinching firm politeness of a stubborn hostess. “Right, and that is…?”

“I have a question,” Aaron interjects, “Is my character supposed to be a helpless geek or a rich snob? I’m confused.”

“Aw, honey,” Alexander says, patting his thigh with one of the skeleton’s hands, “I thought the answer was obvious. You’re both!” He chuckles as Aaron bats the skeleton hand away.

“More importantly, what happened to Laf, Eliza? Or, what do you think happened?” Laurens asks.

Well, Mrs. Reeve _did_ tell her everyone gets murdered one by one….

Gently, in an attempt to soften the blow, she says, “I predict that they’re probably dead.”

Laf rewards Laurens’s concern by feeding him a handful of popcorn. _“Merde._ Thanks for the vote of confidence, Eliza. But I guess I’ll take it.” They toss a piece in the air and catch it with their own mouth.

“Only one way to find out!” John Church says, “Read on, sister!”

_And so the friends set off down the pathway to find their missing friend. The lake sat still beneath the night sky, reflecting the light of the moon and stars above, as if the water was a mirror that the night sky was looking into, that vain bitch. The water’s surface was like broken glass, because only an idiot would think to touch it at a time like this._

_“Bros, we can like, totally skinny dip, dudes!” Ax hooted, foregoing his shirt once more._

_“Can you focus please?” Emily supplicated querulously, “I’d really like to make sure our friend isn’t dead first.”_

_As they approached the lake, Don suddenly stopped short._

_“Cor-blimey, I think Laf has hopped the twig!”_

_“Considering the fact that there are approximately 1,678 twigs on this cursed woodland soil,” Darren inserted, “I fail to comprehend how any portion of that statement is news.”_

_However, Andi noticed what had stopped her boyfriend and held the object aloft. “They left their shoe behind,” she conveyed._

_This sobered everyone up, even Paige, who very often wasn’t. Ax re-donned his shirt._

_“Oh my God, oh my God you guys. You know a party’s been ruined when someone dies,” Paige rhymed._

“Dies?!”_ Emily shrieked. She looked around the group for any sign of objection to the idea. When she found none, she sunk to her knees and began to sob. “Oh God…” she moaned helplessly._

_Everyone stared at her and exchanged glances with each other, unsure how to approach her. Finally, Andi did._

_“We can mourn them later,” she transmitted in a business-like way, “Right now we need to get back inside where it’s safe.”_

_Andi helped her reluctant and horrified sister back to her feet and, confused and terrified at the presumed death of their beloved Laf, the friends hurried through the woods back to the cabin._

“You’re supposed to help her edit this, right?” Peggy cuts in, “Because I have some major issues with my character. Why am I more worried about the party than Laf? Even at my drunkest, I’m not _that_ much of an asshole.”

Angelica makes a noise of disagreement, and Peggy glares at her. “I’m _not!”_

“And _I’m_ not that British,” John Church adds, “I do not appreciate this stereotyping. I understand it’s horror, but there’s a limit.”

“At least you’re alive,” Laf says bitterly, “Why do _I_ have to be the first to die?”

Just then, Eliza hears a loud snore in her ear, and that’s when she notices Maria’s chin resting limp on her shoulder.

“Hey.” Eliza nudges her shoulder up to waken her girlfriend. “Stay awake, sleepyhead. I’m reading a horror story, not a snorer story.”

“Sorry,” she mumbles groggily. After clearing her throat, she’s able to speak up so the group can hear, “But I’m not even _in_ it, and no one’s dying yet except Laf, and no offense, but everyone kinda knew where that was going. Do I _have_ to pay attention during the boring parts?”

“Yes,” Eliza says.

Maria groans in frustration. “Fine. But only because I love you.”

“Go on, Eliza!” Laf urges, suddenly enthusiastic, “I want to see if you guys avenge me!”

_“Somebody’s_ taken their own mortality in stride,” Eliza says, amused, “All right, continuing on…”

_…confused and terrified at the presumed death of their beloved Laf, the friends hurried through the woods back to the cabin._

_“Ho my God you guys and gals, wait,” Paige declared, “We never found a body. If they’re still out there…”_

_“…then they would be in need of assistance more than ever,” Darren finished, “Ergo, we must retrieve someone to aid us in this matter.”_

_“We’re in the middle of the forest with no cell reception,” Jack countered cantankerously, “Ain’t none of us knows where we are. We can’t just ‘get help.’”_

_“Perhaps _you_ enjoy playing the brooding loner, Jack, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us should die for your idiotic pride,” Darren shot back._

_“Jack-Attack, Darren my dude, cool your jets,” Ax asserted, inexplicably shirtless again, “I get that we’re all worked up, but we’re friends—”_

_“Ax, for the love of God, I’m tired of looking at your man-body!” Paige proclaimed with lesbianic disgust._

(The real Peggy snorts. “Mood.”

“Rude,” Alexander mutters.)

_“A friend wouldn’t say that…” Ax responded mournfully._

_Jack let out an epic sigh, looking disdainfully at the moon peeking out through the treetops. The full moon shone brightly, out of place amidst the darkness, like if someone had left a Pringle in a glass of Sprite for too long, _Greg.

(“Wait, who’s Greg? Where did Greg come from?” John Church asks.

“Guy she works with. Nice kid, but kind of an idiot,” Aaron explains.

“Ah.”)

_But the friends paid no mind to this, continuing on their way. At long last, they made it inside the cabin, safe and sound._

_That’s when Don had an idea. “Listen,” he commanded, “we may not have cell service in this godforsaken wilderness, but we do have a car. Some brave warrior has to go find help for Laf. And guess who’s got two thumbs and is brave as hell.” He pointed to himself. “This guy right here.”_

_“What the damn hell?!” Andi hollered hysterically—_

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Angelica interrupts, “I do _not_ say, ‘What the damn hell,’ and I don’t do _anything_ hysterically.”

“Really?” John Church looks at her, bemused. “That’s your line?”

_“You _draw the line at ‘too British,’” Angelica teases back, “Like, ‘oh, poor me, my trait that gets exaggerated is the thing that makes me irresistible to American wom—’ Good _God,_ Peggy, another drink? Already? How many have you had?”

Peggy sets her chalice on the end table next to her so she can flip Angelica off with both hands. “This many.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Very charming. The ladies must adore that. It’s a wonder you’re still single.”

“She’s had two so far. This is her third,” Aaron tells Angelica, “I’ve been keeping an eye out so she doesn’t spill any on the manuscript.”

“That’s what _I_ said,” Peggy says with a shrug, picking up her chalice again.

Eliza jumps in before her sisters can squabble more, “Let’s keep going.”

_“What the damn hell?!” Andi hollered hysterically, “You’re not going anywhere, you damn fool! You’ll get eaten alive out there!”_

_“Relax, love, I’ll be perfectly well. I’ve seen fighting before plenty a time. I’m certain I’ll know what to do,” Don boasted confidently._

_“You do know, don’t you, that this isn’t a video game?” Andi refuted, “You can’t just press X in real life, and if you lose a life, it’s the only one you have!”_

_“And what, my dear, would you have me do?” Don prodded, “Leave our mate to their death, and ensure their fate?”_

_“No,” Andi concluded grimly, “I’m going with you.”_

_Don grinned proudly. “You’re so fearless, lamb chop. If we were playing DnD right now, you’d be a noble paladin.” Andi orbited her optic organs affectionately, but leaned into Don when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead._

_“Whoa,” Ax reacted, “Nerd’s got _game.”

_Don smirked at him before turning back to Andi to give her a pep talk. “This is a tough level, but we’re the best players around. We will beat this.”_

_Without another word, the couple exited the cabin. After a moment, the van’s engine roared through the night._

“Wha— Now I’m just leaving? What about you guys?! I wouldn’t abandon my sisters like that!” Angelica rants, her voice incrementally reaching new octaves.

“I don’t even _like_ lamb chops…” John Church mutters.

“Speaking of sisters,” says Aaron, “Sally would be so much better at this if she’d stop using so many synonyms.”

“Shhhh! Let Eliza read!” comes the voice behind Eliza’s ear.

_Maria_ wants everyone to hush so she can find out what happens next. That’s the biggest plot twist of the night so far. Eliza isn’t sure why she’s suddenly interested, but she’ll take it.

_The friends gathered on the porch to watch them drive into that dastardly darkness, the engine’s emissions echoing through the thickets of trees in its exit, even after the two had slipped out of sight._

_“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Emily enquired. _

_“I hope so. All we can do now is eat, pray, love, and hope they’re hashtag blessed,” Ax ejaculated._

Laurens let out a loud snort, and then he, Laf, and Alexander burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“What?” Alexander says between fits of giggles, “I just… right there outside the—” He cuts himself off with another round of laughter.

The rest of the group is less than amused, but Aaron looks outright murderous. Alexander stops when he sees his face.

“What?” he asks with a smile that suggests he’s not quite done laughing.

Aaron glares back. “I am ten seconds away from killing you _myself._ And your little character, too.”

“Oops,” Alexander says, letting a little giggle escape. He swallows the rest down when he sees that Aaron looks serious, though he still grins shamelessly. “Looks like I’m in trouble now,” he says to Laurens and Laf, who laugh even harder at this.

“Let me know when you three are done,” Eliza says patiently.

The three sober up and force each other to apologize to her, and once they’re done giving each other shit for not shutting up and _actually_ shut up, Eliza continues.

_The friends re-entered the cabin, but as soon as the front door clicked shut… the lights went out, leaving the room in a thick gloom._

(“Wait, wasn’t there no electricity?” Peggy interrupts, before realizing she shouldn’t. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay, you’re right. Looks like Mrs. Reeve might need a reminder,” Eliza says, “But let’s just roll with it for now.”)

_Only a faint flickering of the lamp and the fireplace lit the room dimly, leaving shifting shadows on the walls._

_Ax stepped toward the basement door. “The breaker would be down there…. Dudes, dudettes, I’m going in. I’ll get the light back on for us.”_

_The door opened with a shriek of rusty hinges, and then Ax descended down the steps, each one creaking beneath him._

(_“Fuck_ yeah!” Alexander shouts, “I’m about to get an epic death scene! This is my moment, my time to shine, my Magna Carta, my noble final stand against the—!”

Laf shoves a handful of popcorn into his mouth.)

_Ax’s voice called up from the depths of the basement, “Bros, it’s all fine in here. I think I found the breakers.”_

_There was a metallic sliding sound, and the lights flickered to life. His friends above let out a collective sigh of relief._

_And then they heard him scream._

_“Ax?!” asked Emily anxiously, “What’s wrong?!”_

_“Ohhh boy,” Ax whimpered, just loud enough to hear, “Nice puppy. Nice—”_

_There was a snarl, then another scream as ripping and shredding sounds came from the basement. When Ax’s screams finally gurgled out, a rapid scuffling started up the stairs._

_‘Twas Paige that spoke first. “Holy crap, RUN!!!”_

_The friends sprinted out of the cabin and into the woods, terror spurring them faster than they had ever run in their lives._

_“Ohmygod, we are so dead,” Paige babbled in panic, “We’re so dead! Like, we’re dying any second! There’s nothing we can do, we are so—”_

_“The more you babble, the easier we are to follow,” Jack snapped, puffing disdainfully on his cigarette._

(“I think I liked my character when he was more brooding and less mean…” Laurens interjects. The group shushes him.)

_The trees thinned as they ran, and the only sounds were their hard breathing and their footsteps echoing into the night. Suddenly, Darren pointed up ahead._

_“Sanctuary!” he announced, “Blessed sanctuary!”_

_A trailer park loomed into view, perched on the edge of a rocky cliff with lots of rocks at the bottom and the top. The sea below the cliff crashed the rocks unforgivingly like a hit and run, giving the rocks a bath and leaving them squeaky clean. The friends had reached a dead end, and they weren’t about to be power-washed— not yet, anyway._

_“Quick!” Emily yelled quickly, “We can hide in the trailer!”_

_“Nuh-uh! I am _not _going in there!” Paige objected._

_“At this point, I don’t believe we have a choice!” Darren reasoned._

_Jack reached the trailer primarily and yanked open the door. He poked his head inside, then informed the party, “It’s empty. Come on. Or not, whatever.” He took another puff of his still-lit cigarette whilst the others rushed inward, flicked it into the dirt, then slammed the door shut and locked it._

_The interior was grimy, with clothing and garbage strewn about like an explosion of mess, and crusty-ass dishes overflowing the sink. The stench of spoiled food made everyone but Paige gag._

_“How is anyone capable of _living_ in such filth?” Darren groused._

_Paige wandered toward the middle of the trailer, lifting articles of clothing and nudging bulging trash bags aside with her foot. “Hey, this place isn’t so bad. And it looks like no one’s home!”_

_“Paige, don’t touch anything,” instructed Jack, “Or do, whatever.”_

_“Um… guys?” Paige squeaked suddenly, “You might want to see this.”_

_Jack, Darren, and Emily cautiously approached the object Paige was staring at: a pile of clothes shredded into tatters._

_Darren examined it closely. “The size and severity of the tears clearly suggest a werewolf transformation.”_

Alexander breaks his silence. “Okay, it’s just a _little_ suspicious that he knows all that.”

“What are you implying?” Aaron asks, looking a bit betrayed.

Alexander gives him a teasing smile. “I mean, you already threatened to kill me in _real_ life, that’s all I’m saying…”

“How does that—? I was literally upstairs with the others when you died! There is no possible, logical way that I could have—”

“Mm, denial,” Laf muses, “Very convincing. Of course, no killer would ever _admit_ to being the killer…”

Aaron’s face reaches new levels of done. “Really? Reverse psychol— You know what? Yes. Fine. I am the killer. You caught me.”

“Called it,” Alexander says, smile becoming a smug grin.

“That’s interesting,” Angelica says, her own lips twitching mysteriously, “Because none of us were actually _there_ for Ax’s supposed death… And what better way to throw off suspicion than accusing another…?”

Aaron seems to like this theory a lot better, and Alexander shows every sign of arguing, but Eliza decides to put an end this nonsense.

“The killer has to be someone we don’t know,” she says, “I mean, it sounds like this trailer hasn’t been cleaned in years! None of us are _that_ helpless…”

“How about,” Maria proposes, “you keep reading, and then we’ll find out who the killer _really_ is?”

_Right after Darren’s revelation, a banging started at the door, rattling the trailer as the sound reverberated._

_“AAAAAAAAHHH! We’re gonna die!” Paige screamed._

_“This is why I prefer the world of fiction to that of reality,” Darren compared, “Fiction has never wanted to kill me.”_

_“The window! Quick!” Jack indicated._

_They ran to the back of the trailer, but the window was out of reach. The hunky and charitable Jack dropped chivalrously down to one knee to give the rest a boost and urged Paige to be the first through the window._

“What the damn hell?!” Laurens says, “‘Hunky and charitable?’ ‘Chivalrously?’ Since when was he any of those things?”

“I’d run with it if I were you. You said you didn’t like it when he was being mean,” Eliza points out.

“Well, _fuck_ that if it means I’m gonna just roll over and die! I wanna go through first!”

“Wow, _someone_ isn’t feeling hunky and charitable anymore,” Laf teases.

“Sorry, but you know how it is. Nice guys finish last.” Between that phrase and that smirk, he is _asking_ for a gruesome death scene.

“Oh, we’ll see about that,” Eliza says.

Taking his note under consideration, Eliza grabs a pen from Angelica and draws a line along the edges of the text, to give herself room to write a new scene in the margins. It’s a bit difficult to write in this lighting and without a surface steadier than her own lap, and she has to take special care not to elbow Maria, but she manages a scene she’s satisfied with.

“There,” she says, “Let’s see how you like _this.”_

_The not-so-charitable Jack, heart turned cold in his fear and cowardice, pushed Paige out of the way last-minute and hoisted himself onto the windowsill._

_Paige cartwheeled to regain her balance, then glared. _“So_ not cool.”_

_He lit two cigarettes at once and sucked on them both before blowing the smoke into Paige’s face._

_“I’m not here to be friends. I’m here to _survive.”

_The friends were so distracted by Jack’s heartless betrayal, none of them noticed that the banging had stopped._

_As Jack was about to leap from the window, a pair of clawed hands wrapped around his arms and pulled him out._

_The beast snarled, and that’s when Jack started to beg for his life, but the creature was in no mood for mercy. It batted the cigarettes away from his mouth easily, then pinned his arms down as it sank its teeth into his hair and pulled until his scalp bled. Spitting out the locks, it then took a big bite of his face, ripping off his skin at his nose, eating his flesh with gusto, and stopping his begging dead in its tracks. It continued the attacks down the rest of his body, scratching and gnashing and ripping at every inch of him, until there was nothing left but a mangled, unidentifiable corpse._

Eliza finishes the death scene proudly… then looks around at her friends to see that they’re all staring at her with wide eyes and disturbed, uneasy looks.

“Well, that was… how you say… harsh?” Laf says tentatively.

“Yeah. _Way_ harsh,” Peggy agrees.

Laurens shrugs, trying to act all nonchalant. “Eh, I kinda deserved it.” But she can see that it’s her he’s eyeing warily now, and he suppresses a shiver. _Good._

“Consider that a cautionary tale!” Eliza says cheerily, “Don’t mess with writers!”

With that, she reads the last few lines of her alterations, then gets back to Reeve’s work…

_As Jack was karmically getting his insides ripped out, Darren advised the others, “Quick! While the monster’s occupied! Run out the door!”_

_He, Emily, and Paige burst out of the trailer and sprinted for the woods._

** _——_ **

_The three survivors reached a fork in the road, and Emily hurried after Paige to the right._

…only to be interrupted yet again, this time by Aaron.

“What the damn hell?! You’re just gonna leave me?!”

“That’s word for word from your sister’s version!”

“Well, you changed it for Laurens,” he says, “You _could_ change it for me, too.”

“Be careful what you wish for…” Laurens mutters.

“Sorry, Aaron,” Eliza says, “I’d rather stick with Paige. Sisters before misters.”

“Woo! Cheers to that!” Peggy downs the rest of her drink, then holds up a hand for a high-five, which Eliza indulges.

Angelica watches them both with a fond smile and her hand over her heart. “I’m so proud of you,” she says, her voice a little choked up.

Peggy mumbles, “Whatever,” and waves her off, but Eliza feels vindicated in her choice… even if she does feel some slight pity for what’s about to happen to Aaron.

_Unfortunately, they realized too late that Darren had not gone the same way. His distant screams resounded through the forest, and then the sounds of the monster grew louder as it headed straight for the girls._

_“Oh man…” Paige whined, “Oh man, oh man, did you hear that? Darren’s—”_

_Emily grabbed her arm and pulled her to the right alongside her as the path curved. “We have to keep going, or we’ll be next!”_

_The trees thickened as the heroines continued further into the forest. The moonlight dimmed and dimmed, until, without warning, the path ahead opened into a clearing, which the moonlight brightly illuminated. They came to a stop, and all was silent._

_“This place is beautiful!” Paige complimented. “But creepy…” she hedged._

_They turned slowly in a circle, but the only clear route out was the way they had come._

_“Do we risk it?” Emily wondered, “Or should we forget about the path and try—”_

_A throaty howl cut her off, making her blood run cold. When it faded, the thudding of the beast grew nearer and louder once more. The two watched the pathway, rooted to the spot in terror. It was as though the howl had taken hold of their bodies, freezing their muscles. They were sitting ducks, a dog’s feast waiting to be eaten. They could not have been more vulnerable if they were naked in a bathtub full of raw hot dogs._

_“Why are we standing here? We should run!” Paige suggested._

_“But where? What direction is it even coming from?” Emily questioned._

_Just then, the bushes behind them rustled violently. They spun around just as the dark shape burst into the clearing and roared._

_“Holy motherforking shirtballs!” Peggy swore, “It’s a were—”_

_Before she could finish, the werewolf roared again and reared up to attack._

_“Oh no you don’t!” came a voice from above._

_Confused, the two girls looked up right as a blur dropped down from a tree, right onto the werewolf, crushing it under the weight of impact. Andi landed on the beast’s back, grabbed a large rock, and knocked it unconscious._

_“Keep your paws off my sisters!”_

_“Andi!” the sisters cried at the same time, both joyous and relieved._

_Andi stood up and climbed off to give the girls a proper greeting. “I’m so glad I found you in time!”_

_“You saved me!” Paige expressed happily, “You… you saved us.”_

_“Of course I did,” Andi said simply, “I love you guys. More than anything in this life.”_

“Finally!” the real Angelica says, “Some decent characterization. It’s about damn time.” Her eye catches onto something, and she tilts her head curiously. “What?”

Eliza follows her line of sight to Peggy, who’s looking at Angelica all misty-eyed, a tentative and slightly drunken smile starting to form.

“Would you really do that for me?” Peggy asks softly.

“Of course I would! Why wouldn’t I?!” Angelica seems hurt that Peggy would think anything different.

“Well… it’s just that I can be kind of a pain in the ass sometimes, and I know you and _Eliza_ would do anything for each other, but sometimes I just feel a little left out, and… And I’m just the dumb baby of the family who can’t hold her alcohol,” Peggy finishes, frowning at the empty chalice resting on the end table.

“Peggy…” Angelica falters, a rarity for her, “Peggy, the only reason I get on you about that stuff is because I worry about you. You… you know that, right?”

Peggy sniffles. “Yeah.” Then, with a bipolarity that _definitely_ suggests she’s already inebriated, Peggy gets out of her chair to collapse on the blanket and hug Angelica, who hugs her back indulgently, stabilizing her position a bit so she doesn’t have to support the majority of Peggy’s weight.

“Well,” John Church says, adjusting his own position, “As sweet as this is—”

“—we’ve got a story to read,” Angelica finishes, and Peggy giggles in her arms like she’s a little girl again, adjusting herself so that she’s facing Eliza.

Eliza smiles.

_The sisters shared a long hug, then broke apart abruptly as they remembered the severity of the situation they were in._

_“Where’s Don?” Emily investigated._

_Andi paused sadly, then dropped the bomb, “He didn’t make it. The wolf broke through the windshield and went right for him. I had to escape before it got to me, too. I hated doing it, but he was already dead, and I wanted to see if you two were okay, and…” She looked around suddenly. “And the others?”_

_Emily shook her head. “They didn’t make it, either. We’re the only ones left.”_

_A low rumbling came from underneath their feet._

_“We don’t have much time,” Andi observed, “So here’s what we’re going to do: we’ll get as much distance from the werewolf as we can, and you two are going to listen to me. I’ll tell you exactly what to do, and you can’t question me, not right now. Do you understand?”_

_Emily does, all too well. She knows what that look means, what Andi’s planning to do. “Andi—”_

_But Paige was too apprehensive to wait for Emily’s approval. “We do. We’ll do it. Let’s go.”_

_And just like that, the sisters were running on the path again. The wolf regained consciousness not too long after and charged for them. Andi took the lead and as the werewolf drew closer, pointed left. _

_“That way!” she ordered, and instinctively, her sisters obeyed. Andi split off to the right and threw a small rock at the wolf’s head. “Leave them alone, you overgrown hairball!”_

_The sounds of the ensuing struggle were excruciating, but the sisters tuned them out. They had no time to mourn, they had to hurry away to safety. That’s what Andi would have wanted them to do. _

_Then Emily realized she could only hear one set of footsteps: her own. She stopped and turned._

_Paige had fallen on the ground, flat on her stomach. She was doing her best to stand up again, but the wolf was drawing nearer, and she was struggling. Emily tried to run back, to save her only surviving sister, but the wolf reached her first. It sank its jaws into her leg and dragged her body back toward it. Paige desperately clawed the ground in front of her, but it was in vain as her body disappeared from her legs up, until finally, the wolf stopped at her neck, leaving only a head behind._

_Emily was frozen in place, too numb with horror to move, to do anything but watch helplessly as it finished its meal, then stalked towards her. It didn’t chase, not this time, for it knew it did not need to. It approached slowly but surely, until it reached her. Then, it lunged._

_That’s when Emily finally came to her senses and sprang into action. Just before the monstrous canine reached her, Emily flung herself to the side. Its claws sailed by, gleaming menacingly inches from her face. The beast tumbled and rolled, then scrambled back to its feet, baring its teeth in a snarl._

_Emily put some space between herself and the werewolf, but she forgot to look behind her, and soon she was caught against the back of a tree with nowhere to go. The creature headed for her again, grinning wolfishly, her sisters’ blood gleaming on its fangs and claws._

_Emily reached up and broke off a branch near her head. The beast leapt at her, and she swung the heavy branch with all her might. Claws raked down her leg, but the makeshift bat connected with the beast’s snout and forced it to recoil as it whimpered in pain._

_She let go of the heavy branch and collapsed to the ground, her injured leg weak. All too soon, the beast shook off its stupor and advanced, enraged by Emily’s attack. Before she could regain her footing, the wolf pinned her down, its gaping jaws inches from her throat…_

There’s nothing else, and she’s on the last page. The group looks at her, expecting more.

Hell, _she_ was expecting more. She did _not_ do all that fighting to die such a pathetic death! The story can’t be over!

“What is it?” Alexander asks.

“Is that it?” Aaron adds.

“No,” Eliza says, “You know what, I am going to tell your sister that that is _not_ a satisfying ending. That is _not_ enough!” She thinks to grab the pen again, but this lighting’s not good enough either. She’ll need a proper environment if she wants to fix _this_ grievous error.

Without warning, she darts up the stairs to her room and locks herself inside. _There._ Now she can think.

If she were the final girl in a horror novel, trying to fight off a werewolf, what would she do? How would she survive?

She takes out some fresh paper and begins to write.

* * *

Time flies by as the writing invigorates her, and it barely feels like it’s passed at all as she leaves the last stroke on the page. She’s just about to share it with her friends when she hears a knock at the door.

“Hey, Eliza? You okay?” comes Maria’s muffled voice, “Party’s gonna start soon. I’m sorry about the story.”

Eliza opens the door, her writing high confusing Maria. She must have thought Eliza had been upset by the ending, rather than spurred.

She greets her with a grin. “Oh, don’t worry about that. How much time do we still have before the guests arrive?”

“A little. Why?”

“Because,” Eliza says, “I’d like to show you guys how the story _really_ ends…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Wasn't planning on a 3-parter, but I wanted the last bit of the story to have a section all to itself. The last bit should be up sometime next week (for real this time). Until then, enjoy!


	3. Eliza's Ending

The group’s resettled, apparently having dispersed after Eliza left to make her revisions. Peggy’s on the blanket still, lying on her back with Angelica next to her holding a large, half-empty bottle of water, but John Church has relocated to Lafayette’s seat on the couch. Meanwhile, it seems Laurens and Laf took the comfy chair, positions reversed with Laf now on the floor in front of Laurens, passing a bag of bone-shaped Cheetos between themselves. Alexander is now in the swivel chair, skeleton returned to the center of the couch unharmed, and Aaron stands up when Eliza tells the group the story’s not over, so that she can take his spot on the other side of the couch.

Eliza takes the offer and sits down, and Maria takes the couch arm next to her as she settles in to read the story’s final stretch…

_Emily stared up into the wolf’s eyes —(Would they be the last thing she’d ever see? Was this the end?)— and realized that something about them seemed… _familiar.

_Rather than puzzle it out, Emily landed a powerful kick to the wolf’s stomach, causing it to whimper and lose its grip on her. Perhaps she _would_ die here tonight… but not without a fight._

_She rolled away, desperately seeking a weapon, crawling and clawing away from the beast until her hand landed on a baseball-sized rock. She hurled it at the werewolf, and it connected with its shoulder. Enraged, the creature shook off the pain and reared back to run after her._

_Emily scrambled to her feet and sprinted through the thick forest, hoping against hope to put some distance between herself and her attacker. Branches slapped against her face as she ran, but the larger, bulkier werewolf was slowed down by the trees. They started to thin up ahead, revealing the abandoned trailer park just beyond. Emily still had the lead, but the wolf was close behind… and the cliff loomed ahead._

_She ran toward the trailer in search of a weapon. Among the rubble on the ground and the grass slick with Jack’s blood, a heavy pan caught her eye._

_Eliza grabbed the pan and turned to face the wolf head-on, to make her final stand. She _would_ get justice for her friends… if it was the last thing she did._

“Yes!” Laurens shouts suddenly, startling her, “Avenge us!”

“Kick that monster’s ass!” Laf adds.

“Don’t you mean _derriere?”_ Laurens teases.

Laf gives his knee a light shove and rolls their eyes.

“Don’t worry, friends,” Eliza promises, “I am _so_ on it.”

_The wolf burst from the woods and ran at Emily, just as she lifted her pan and charged. This time, as it roared, Emily roared back even fiercer, channeling into it all the rage and anguish of the night’s losses._

_They met with a clash at the edge of the cliff. Its vicious paw reached up to claw at her, but her pan connected solidly with its skull, and Eliza deftly dodged the wolf’s blow. Utilizing her new positional advantage, she took a foot and both her hands and, in one fell swoop, shoved the wolf over the edge of the cliff with all her might before it could attack her again._

_Just as Emily was looking over the edge, watching the beast fall, a bank of clouds rolled over the full moon. Suddenly, it wasn’t a wolf careening toward its doom, but the woman inside the beast: Heartmelt University’s fallen sorority queen, Maya Lucas!_

(“What?!” the real Maria says, leaning in closer so she can see.)

_“Help!” she cried._

_Emily instantly felt sick to her stomach, dread and panic filling her as she watched her girlfriend tumble. Before she could fall further, Emily leaned over the edge of the cliff and reached out to clasp Maya’s hand._

_“Hold on!”_

_Maya looked up at her, confusion filling her large brown eyes, which seemed innocent on her now helpless, half-naked form, vulnerable and bruised from the rocks._

_“Why are you doing this?” she asked, “As soon as those clouds part, I could kill you!”_

_“It’s the right thing to do! Besides…” Emily regarded Maya sincerely, meeting the uncertainty in her eyes with conviction from her own. “I couldn’t live without you, Maya. I thought you knew that.”_

_Maya’s gaze softened, hand clasping her tighter. “You know it’s the other way around, Emily…”_

“Aww,” Maria says, planting a kiss in Eliza’s hair.

“Eugh,” Laf says.

“Why,” Laurens deadpans.

“No,” Aaron agrees.

“Shh!” says Alexander, “Let her finish!”

“Thank you,” says Eliza. And so she does…

_Emily hauled Maya up onto solid ground. The two women sat on the cliff’s edge for a moment, catching their breath. But when Maya glanced up at the moon, a stray beam of light peeked through the clouds, filling her with a far greater fear than the fall had._

_“You have to run,” Maya warned Emily, “I appreciate what you’ve done for me, but I won’t be _me_ for long. All you friends, your… your _sisters._ I’m so sorry!”_

_Emily’s sorrows rushed back to her, threatening to take over. Slowly, she took a deep, shuddering breath and held them at bay, then turned back to the one living person she had left. “It wasn’t _you,_ Maya. But I have an idea for how to stop you from harming any more innocent people tonight.”_

_Emily guided Maya Lucas to the grimy trailer where it all began. She gathered every heavy thing she could and barricaded the sorority-girl-turned-werewolf inside._

_“I just hope that will hold her until morning…”_

_Emily slumped down against the barricaded trailer, clutching the fire extinguisher she’d grabbed from inside as a weapon. She finally let herself mourn for her lost friends as the moon escaped from the cloud’s cover, and the trailer rattled with the howl of the hungry beast._

_“Awoooooooooooooooooooooooo!”_

“The end!” Eliza finishes, this time satisfied.

The room is silent for a moment. Then, as quickly as it began, it’s broken.

“Okay,” Laurens says, “So let me get one thing queer: _I_ ask to escape a horrible death from a terrifying monster and I get brutally murdered. Maria _is_ a terrifying monster and she just gets locked up for the night? I say, unto you, _what. Ever.”_ He throws down the bag of chips dramatically, like a mic drop.

None spill out though, luckily for Laf, who takes the bag and Laurens’s commentary with good humor. “Don’t worry, _mon amour._ I’ll protect you in real life.”

“Yeah, sure,” Laurens says, “If you don’t die first.” But he squeezes their shoulder affectionately, and Laf leans into the touch, so Laurens probably isn’t taking this _too_ seriously.

“You were really heroic in that final fight, Bets!” Alexander says.

“Thanks!”

“Who knew a pumpkin could pack such a punch?” Aaron adds. Then he frowns. “Oh, would you look at that alliteration.”

Peggy laughs from the floor. “Okay, _Darren,_ cool your jets already!”

Angelica feeds her another sip of water. She seems fine to Eliza, though, at least since she slowed down. At this rate, she might actually be sobered up by the time the guests arrive… if none of them show up on time.

Maria’s hand sneaks its way into Eliza’s and squeezes it. “Thanks for including me in your story,” she says, “But… why did I have to be the villain?”

“’Cause there was no one else left!” Eliza says, “And she wasn’t a villain, not really. She was every bit as much of a victim as the others. She was just put in a bad position.”

Maria bites her lip, and Eliza realizes belatedly that that might have reminded her of _other things_ she’s been forced to do in a bad position.

“Plus,” Eliza adds, to distract her, “I think you make a pretty hot werewolf.”

Maria blushes and ducks her head. “Thanks.”

Suddenly, a ghost wails through the house. Oh, that’s right, they changed the doorbell for the season.

Wait— the doorbell! The guests are here!

Eliza looks around at everyone. No one moves.

“Don’t look at me!” Laf says, “I died first in the story, and I will _not_ die first in real life!”

“So much for protection…” Laurens mutters, but he’s looking spooked as well.

“Angelica?” Eliza asks tentatively, “It _is_ your party…”

Angelica gestures to Peggy. “Can’t. Sister duty. Sorry.”

She’s not sorry at all. Eliza glares at her, and she shrugs back.

“Well don’t you all get up at once…” Eliza mutters, exasperated as she gets up to open the door. She’ll show them they’re all being silly, and there’s nothing to be— _Holy shit, what is Mrs. Reeve gonna do with that knife? _Eliza staggers back from the door a bit.

“Mrs. R— uh, Sally. What a nice surprise.” She can’t manage much more than a squeak, and her smile must look as forced as it feels.

Rather than take offense, however, the woman just laughs. “Gotcha,” she says, pulling out a cake from behind her back, “I hope you don’t mind that I’m a little early. I just wanted to give you guys a little something as a thank you for looking over my novel! I hope you enjoyed it!”

It’s some kind of chocolate… something. Oh! With a laugh, Eliza realizes it’s a chocolate swamp monster, altered a bit in what must have been an attempt to turn it into a werewolf.

“It’s beautiful,” she says, taking it, “And thank you for sharing it with us! We’ve certainly been getting into it.” She does have a bone to pick with certain parts of it… but she’ll wait until the woman is settled in before going full critique on her. (Until they’ve gotten the giant knife out of her hand.)

Mrs. Reeve comes in to greet the group, and soon after, John Church’s DnD friends pop in, then Laurens and Alexander’s football friends with their loud music blaring, Peggy’s fellow band members, and various other acquaintances from around campus. Even a few of the Kappa girls show up, to Maria’s dread and Peggy’s delight, and the room becomes festive and full, the sounds of laughter, music, conversation, and celebration ringing throughout the house late into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! (In December lmao, I tried)
> 
> There's one more project I'm planning to have done by the end of the year, stay tuned. There's also lots of fun stuff being planned for 2020 as well (writing more consistently and getting more stuff out there is one of my New Year's Resolutions!) that I really can't wait to show everyone. But for now, I'm happy to have (finally) finished this, I hope you enjoy, and Happy Holidays!


End file.
